Patient&#39;s gown or robe



WITT H. K. DE

BE Oct. 30, PATIENT'S GOWN OR RO 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4 Filed Aprll 8, 195

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ATTRNEYS.

06h30, 1956 H. K. DE WITT PATIENTS GOWN OR ROBE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 8. 1954 ATTORNEY ited States Patent() PATIENTS GOWN R ROBE Harry K. De Witt, Wilmette, Ill., assignor to American Hospital 'Supply Corporation, Evanston, Ill., a corporation of 'Illinois Application April 8, 195A, Serial No. 421,887

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-114) This inv-ention relates to a hospital patients gown or robe. The garment may also be employed for other uses.

Patients gowns or sleeping garments, as employed in hospitals, have usually been constructed with a front solid panel and a rear divided panel, the rear panel being provided with tie strings by which the garment can be secured. The garment is unsatisfactory for many reasons, but because of the need for making ready examinations, doctors have insisted upon this general type of structure. The tying of the strings at the back results in knots which are unpleasant for the patient, and further the divided character of the rear panel makes the garment unsatisfactory because of the openings therein. Further, the garment is entirely unsatisfactory when the patient is out of bed. In spite of these serious disadvantages and the unsightly appearance of the garment, physicians have insisted upon the retention of the structure because of the need for ready access to different portions of the patients body for examination. However, even from the standpoint of examination, the present patients gown has had serious disadvantages. While the back of the patient can be readily exposed by the untying of the drawstrings, the chest portion of the body can be exposed only by the partial removal ofthe gown.

In spite of the disadvantages both from the physicians standpoint and the patients comfort, the hospital gown or robe has remained steadily through the years in the shape and pattern described above, and it is believed that no solution has heretofore been presented satisfying all of the conflicting requirements of the patient and the physiclan.

An object of the present invention is to provide a garment of simple and inexpensive structure which may be readily laundered and processed and which is also comfortable and desirable from the standpoint of the patient, while at the same time providing for inspection by the physician both as to the front and rear portions of the patients body and without requiring removal of the garment. A further object is to provide a patients grown which is reversible and which may be worn with comfort by the patient while at the same time providing means for readily Iexposing either the back or the front portion of the patients body. A still further object is to provide a gown which may be worn by the patient when out of bed while at the same time providing a comfortable garment for sleeping and protecting the patient against exposure no matter in what position the patient may be lying. Yet another obj-ect is to provide a gown of simple and practical shape and contour which protects the patient from all sides while at the same time enabling the physician to examine readily any portion of the patients body. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is shown, in an illustrative embodiment, by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a hospital garment embodying my invention, the garment being shown in a position which will open to readily expose the chest of the patient; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the garment shown in reversed position upon the patient so that the garment may beA opened for readily exposing the back of the patient; Fig. 3, a front View in elevation of the garment with a front portion thereof opened to expose the sleeve ap; Fig. 4, a View similar to Fig. 3 but showing the back portion of the garment illustrated in Fig. 3;

and Fig. 5, a top plan View of the garment opened up and showing the inner surfaces of the front and rear panels of the garment.

In the illustration given, 10 designates a panel of the garment which may be considered either the front or rear panel thereof, and 11 designates a second panel which is preferably integral with panel 10 along one side or stitched thereto. In the illustration given, panel 11 is stitched to panel 10 along the side designated at l2, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The stitching along line 12 terminates at i3, where binding stitching occurs and there-below the panels 10 and 11 are separate, being provided with overlapping free edges 14. Panel 10 is provided on one side with a sleeve 15, and integrally formed with the front surface thereof is a flap 16 which will be described hereafter in detail. On the opposite side of panel lil and between the panel l@ and panel 1i, is a seco-nd sleeve 17, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5. The free outer edges of the panels 10 and 11 are provided with fastening devices 18, as shown best in Fig. 5. In the specific illustration given, the fastening devices 18 consist of snaps which are preferably formed of cooperating metal pieces, one of which provides a socket and the other a tongue. Since such fastening devices are well known, a detailed descriptio-n herein is believed unnecessary. Further, it will be understood that any type of fastening device, such as tie strings, various forms of snaps, hooks and eyes, etc., may be employed.

In the structure shown, I prefer to have the fastening devices 18 located at a spaced distance above the bottom of the garment so that when the garment is folded about the patient and secured, there will be an overlapping upper edge portion not only on the one side below the stitching 13, but also on the other side of the garment below the lowermost fastening device 18. The overlapping side edges on both sides of the garment thus provide access to the lower portion of the body, while access to the top portion of the body is provided by the flap structure which will now be described.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 5, the sleeve 15 has integrally formed therewith the inwardly-extending flap 16 having a curved edge portion, and at the top of the garment there is a fastening device 18. The opposite panel l1 is provided with a fastening device which folds over the flap 16 and is secured in overlapping position by means of the fastening devices iS, as may be readily seen from the showing in Fig. 3. Assuming that the garment is in the position shown in Fig. l, and assuming that it is desired to examine the chest of the patient, the physician need only open the top connections 18 and draw the flap of the panel 11 laterally, as shown in Fig. 3, and then the iiap 16 may be drawn laterally, as indicated in Fig. 5. Thus, while the garment remains upon the patient, the chest of the patient may be thoroughly examined.

Should the patient have an injured back or should have an ailment which requires examination of the back, the garment may be placed upon the patient in the position shown in Fig. 2. In this position, the opening of the top flap 19 of the panel 11 to the position shown in Fig. 3 and the folding back of the flap 16 as shown in Fig. 5, completely exposes the back of the patient so that the doctor may examine the back without requiring removal of the gown.

With the structure shown, the garment provides protection for the patient even when out of bed, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, while at the same time there are no obstructions such as tied knots, etc. which interfere with the sleeping comfort of the patient. Also, complete ac cess to the patients body, by reason of the slits along the lower portion of the garment and the foldable flap portions at the top of the reversible garment, is provided.

The flap 16 is of great importance in that it preserves the shape of the garment while being worn by the patient and prevents the forming of a gap or opening as the patient turns to one side on the bed. The flap 16 takes care of the free and otherwise unsupported sleeve 15, causing it to remain in an orderly and attractive position upon the shoulder of the patient when the opposite iiap 1S* is folded thereover, while, at the same time, when the chest or back of the patient is being exposed, the llaps '19 and 16 may be readily moved to one side.

While, in the foreging specication, I have set forth a specific structure in considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating phases of the invention, it will be understood that such details of structure may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

l claim:

1. A patients gown comprising a reversible garment having interchangeable front and rear panels, a first sleeve connected to adjacent upper side edges of both of said panels, said panels being permanently secured to each other along portions of their adjacent side edges below said sleeve, each of said panels having a free opposite side edge, a second sleeve secured to the upper portion of the free side edge of said rear panel, said second sleeve being provided with an integrally formed front fiap having a curved free edge portion extending inwardly to substantially the vertical midline of said front panel, and releaseable connecting means for joining the lower free edge portions of both of said panels together and for joining the upper free edge portion of said front panel to said second sleeve in overlapping relation with the front flap thereof.

2. A patients gown comprising a reversible garment having interchangeable front and read panels, a first sleeve connected to adjacent upper side edges of both of said panels, said panels being permanently secured to each other along portions of their adjacent side edges below said sleeve, each of said panels having a free opposite side edge, a second sleeve secured to the upper portion of the free Side edge of said rear panel, said second sleeve being provided with an inwardly extending free front edge portion, and releasable connecting means for joining the lower free edge portions of both of said panels and for joining the upper free edge portion of said front panel to said second sleeve in overlapping relation with the front edge portion thereof, whereby, said reversible garment may be worn selectively with the front panel covering either the front or back portions of a patients body and with the releasably connected free edges of the panels extending along either of the patients sides.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 818,351 Clark Apr. 17, 1906 1,225,966 Jones May l5, 1917 2,497,764 Doughty Feb. 14, 1950 2,528,340 Coven Oct. 31, 1950 2,673,347 Weiss Mar. 30, 1954 2,686,914 Weiser Aug. 24, 1954 

